Shoutbox

I have downloaded messenger Plus! Live and windows live messenger works ok as far as I can tell. But when I go to help or any other window for Messenger Plus! Live it all comes up in Dutch with the translation window set to Chinese. If I change the drop down menu to English the new page does not down load fully and stops, so I cannot use the help menus or any other pages.

I have a hunch you are confusing a few things.

Messenger Plus! is an addon for Windows Live Messenger. Both are seperate programs. This means that you can have both programs in different languages. Setting the language in Messenger Plus! will not change the language in Windows Live Messenger itself. And vice-versa: if you download and install, for example, a Spanish version of Windows Live Messenger, the language of Messenger Plus! might be set differently (because that only depends on the setting in Messenger Plus!).

The reason why I think you are confusing things is because you're talking about "help menus and pages". Messenger Plus! does not have "help menus and pages". But Windows Live Messenger does. And also you said "the new page does not download fully and stops" which indicates to me you are talking about webpages.

Now, since those "help pages" you talk about are webpages, the language of those depend on your local Windows language, or on your browser settings, or on settings of those webpages (via so called 'cookies'). In case of those "help pages" it is the later. So, again this doesn't have anything todo with the language you've set in Messenger Plus!, but it also doesn't have anything todo with the language of Windows Live Messenger.

All three can be perfectly different.

So, by setting the language in Messenger Plus! you only change the language of Messenger Plus!, nothing else.

And if you want a different language in Windows Live Messenger, you need to download and install Windows Live Messenger in that language (there is no setting to change languages for Windows Live Messenger; you need to download the full program in a specific language).

And as for the language shown in your internet browser (in regards to those "help pages", or any page related to the Windows Live Services for that matter), that depends on a setting which you need to set from the Windows Live Services webpage.

---

To recap:

All three things can be in a different language, independant from the rest. To set a language for all three you need to do it for all three seperatly in different ways:

To set the language of Messenger Plus! (and addon for Windows Live Messenger)


Go to the Messenger Plus! language settings:
In Messenger Plus! 4: Plus! > Preferences & Options > General > Main > Interface Language
In Messenger Plus! 5: Plus! > Preferences & Options > Language > Interface Language

Also see 'CookieRevised's reply to Language problems?' for 2 additional alternative methods.


To set the language of Windows Live Messenger or any other Windows Live program


For Windows Live Wave 3 products (eg: Windows Live Messenger 2009):

You can not switch languages once it is installed.
You need to download and install Windows Live Messenger or any other Windows Live program in a specific language.

1. Go to the official site http://explore.live.com/
   
2. Select the program of your choice (or select the whole Essentials suite) and follow the proper links.
   Windows Live Messenger 2009 can be downloaded here.
   
3. Select the proper language
   
4. Press the download button
   
5. Install the package

Note that you do not need to uninstall the previous versions. The proper language will be installed over the old language.

For Windows Live Wave 4 products (eg: Windows Live Messenger 2011):

Since Wave 4 you can change the interface language via the installer. It might be possible that additional stuff needs to be downloaded, but that will be done automatically if needed.

1. Go to your Windows' Control Panel
   
2. Click on "Clock, Language, Region"
   (this is a big green link)
   
3. Click on "Windows Live Language Setting"
   
4. A popup window will appear where you can set the correct language.

Note that this will affect all the Window Live programs (thus including Windows Live Messenger, but also Windows Live Photo Gallery, etc...).


To set the language of webpages related to the Windows Live Services


Go to your Windows Live profile > Options > General > Display > Language
Or navigate directly to http://home.live.com/options/language.

Many thanks for the reply and advice. I can see I have mixed up messenger Plus, but I still don't understand why my windows live messenger is English & my browser is English, I live in the UK. When I click on help topics in windows Live messenger the browser opens in Dutch and the default translation option is Chinese and if I change it to English the page won't load. Any clues as to how to change this please?

Many thanks for the help, all is sorted now.